I have always preferred ebony fretboards for the superior wear resistance they provide. As prices have risen over the years, I’ve also tried different ebonies and other very dense woods.
I’ve included the Janka Hardness value for each wood listed for comparison. Higher numbers indicate harder woods, which indicates greater resistance to wear. Generally speaking I alternate between African ebony, Mun ebony and Katalox on the guitars I build, but any of those woods listed below are available as an option on custom builds. I note which woods are in stock as of the end of 2021.
In order as shown in the photo;
African (Gabon) ebony – Janka Hardness: 3,080 lbf (13,700 N) The standard black ebony everyone is familiar with. I do have some solid black boards in stock, as well as black streaked with white or brown.
– In stock –
– Indian (Ceylon) ebony (not shown)- Janka Hardness: 2,430 lbf (10,790 N) Softer than African ebony, not that anyone seems to notice. It is quite possible that Indian ebony is sold as African ebony as it is difficult to tell them apart. I don’t have any in stock that I know of.
Macassar ebony – Janka Hardness: 3,220 lbf (14,140 N) Black with pinkish red streaks. It does shine up really well with an oil finish.
– In stock –
Mun ebony – Janka Hardness: 3,000 lbf (13,350 N) A favorite of mine, but extremely rare. When freshly cut it looks a lot like Brazilian rosewood but is very nearly as hard as African ebony. It darkens with use. I don’t know of any other guitar builders using this wood.
– In stock –
Mexican ebony, Katalox – Janka Hardness: 3,660 lbf (16,260 N) A smooth, very hard wood with fine grain that darkens with use. It polishes very nicely. Considerably harder than the other woods listed here (see Brazilian ebony below). A superior fretboard wood with a purple tinge that darkens with use.
– In stock –
Black and white ebony – Janka Hardness: 1,780 lbf (7,920 N) I’ve used this for bridges with good results. This is the softest wood listed here. The board shown would make stunning fretboards for anyone brave enough to flaunt a yellow fretboard with black, spider webbed lines across it. Very expensive and rare in this quality.
– In stock –
Texas Ebony – Janka Hardness: 2,820 lbf (12,560 N) Not a true ebony, although you’d never guess from it’s scientific name: Ebenopsis ebano . Another rare wood that appears to be unique to my for fret board use.
– In stock –
Brazilian ebony (Blackheart) – Janka Hardness: 3,400 lbf (15,120 N) Very hard and more stable than African ebony. It resembles Katalox in color and is in the same botanical genus swartzia. A superior fretboard wood with a dark purple tinge that darkens further with use.
– In stock –
Royal black wood – Janka Hardness: 2,520 lbf (11,190 N) Purpleheart that has been heat treated until it’s black throughout. Purpleheart’s bright purple color limited it’s use as a fret board material. Blacked, it is difficult to distinguish it from African ebony and is similar in hardness to Indian (Ceylon) ebony.
– In stock –